Examinations policies to strengthen primary schooling in African countries

Abstract

Examinations can be a powerful instrument for influencing the kind of instruction students receive, what they learn at school and how they will use school knowledge and skills in daily life. Attention is given to the examinations administered to African primary school students which are the basis for selection for secondary education. Findings are drawn from recent studies in two East African countries, Burundi and Kenya. These studies suggest: (1) that the scope of the school leaving examinations should be increased and should emphasize assessment of knowledge in the domains of science, modern agriculture, health science and nutrition; (2) greater use should be made of vernacular languages for testing to encourage explanatory instruction especially in scientific subjects; and (3) examination items should be constructed to measure high level cognitive skills of importance for performing practical tasks involving applications of modern scientific knowledge.